Rating: 
Summary: Excellent read
Review: I am a huge fan of Jon Krakauer's books and his articles which have appeared in Outside magazine. I have never submitted an online review for a book before, but I feel compelled to do so this time.
Under the Banner of Heaven was an incredible read and an incredible journey for me as I read the book. I started reading this book on a road trip with my husband from North Carolina to Colorado. I could not put it down.
I applaud Mr. Krakauer's courage and his beautiful style of writing. This book is very disturbing, insightful, honest, eloquent, and was impossible for me not to be moved by what I read.
Thank you, Mr. Krakauer, for such a wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: A very open-minded view. Non-biased. A BEST SELLER!
Review: The book was totally exciting, and not at all 'anti-mormon'. The author isn't into mormon sensationalism. He brings out true, historical facts and connects them into today's world, as to why religious extremists do what they do. It's a double-sided view. He gives you current Mormon beliefs, and compares them with their past. The book did fail to mention that although they 'denounce' polygamy, the Mormon Church continues to practice a 'spiritual' polygamy in their temples. I was raised by Mormon parents and my father is married to 3 women on his church record. This may be another reason why Mormon fundamentalists do what they do.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating American History
Review: Wow. This is a book that makes you want to wander the American History section of the public library in search of GREAT STORIES about our country's past. This isn't a whodunit true crime book, but rather a whydunit looking at social origins. Krakauer is very careful to distinguish between the mainstream and fringe (Fundemental LDS) societies. Anyone who reads this book and believes it is about all LDS members really wasn't paying any attention. This book calls into question the fanatical expression of religion in the United States. Though it only speaks about FLDS specifically, most readers will probably consider other new American religions or sects as they read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Fiction
Review: There's an old saying: "Society without organized religion is like a psychopath without a gun." If you subscribe to that view, then this book's meandering collection of horrifying anecdotes, presented as if they give an accurate view of what Mormons are or were, will delight you. It's preaching to the choir, to use an old saw perversely. And perversity is about all you'll get out of this National Enquirer view of Mormonism, but at least it'll be interesting. If you're LDS you'll hate the book since it takes pains to paint the most revered figures in Mormonism as vicious, horny, egregiously dishonest frauds. It is not much different from conventional anti-Mormon diatribes of the type published by the polemicists who whipped up mob sentiment in the old days. Those polar positions are where most of the reviews of this book are coming from, and one wonders if the "reviewers" even read the book. As someone who has actually read this book, and also Krakauer's other work, I don't assume Krakauer is trying to be accurate. He's trying to entertain and editorialize and most of all to sell, just like he did in Into Thin Air (another overhyped and inaccurate book, although not as inaccurate as this one). To write Under the Banner of Heaven he did little more than read a few prominent histories (one of his favorites being a book now widely known to be seriously flawed), conduct some interviews, and then string together this book, which has none of the virtues of the better non-hagiographic histories. One example--nonreligious, so we can deal with simple and incontestable facts--shows the problems underlying the book: Krakauer holds forth on who has raped who based on his understanding of Utah statutory rape law, and a very brief glance at Utah Code 76-5-402.1 makes clear that he's years off in terms of properly identifying the age at which the statute takes effect. The book is so full of those kinds of errors that it calls into question whether Krakauer was even making an effort to do anything other than titillate. In short, no one is going to learn much from reading this book because it's too hard to tell where Krakauer is accurate and where he's slinging slop because it fits his worldview (like his insistence that Mormons rather than Indians must have murdered the Powell expedition deserters, despite the fact that virtually all real historians including his favorite historians don't believe that). But it's an interesting read, and Krakauer will win a few gullible converts.
Rating:
Summary: This is NOT a Mormon Hatchet Job
Review: Many Mormons won't like this book. Within the context of examining a grisly murder, it presents an unvarnished overview of the history of the Latter Day Saints, incorporating both the good and the bad. One can't help but be sympathetic to the persecution the Mormons have endured, especially prior to their settlement in Utah. However, one is equally taken aback by the apparent bloodlust of the early church leaders and fundamentalist adherents of today. The book also details the current state of polygamy in North America along with the sexual abuse of young girls that is rampant in communities where polygamy is practiced without much in the way of challenge by state or federal authorities. The book is well-written, well-researched and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: The Truth Hurts
Review: ...Krakauer's book was not one-sided as many of the negative reviewers would like you to think; he focuses on FACTS-facts that the LDS Church has locked away so not to embarrass itself. In no way does Krakauer condemn the modern LDS Church...I do not look upon them negatively due to this book, I merely question their beliefs in a religion that has a questionable beginning. However, as Krakauer very fairly stated, Mormonism is questioned more often than older faiths because it is a new religion.
This book is an exciting read. Krakauer has found a wonderful way of giving the reader the facts (although there are some errors-as in EVERY book) in a pleasant and satisfying way. This book will make you think and question your own faith: Mormons and Gentiles alike. This is a book for people who want to think...
Rating: 
Summary: A must read
Review: Jon Krakauer gives us a fascinating look at the history of Mormonism and the influence it holds over its adherents. It shows the history of the religion which parallel many of the growing pains of the country it was founded in. LDS members will undoubtedly give a negative review to this book because of the discomfort it causes. It examines how church teachings, both historical and modern, set up the environment for killing in the name of G-d. Polygamy in Utah is still given the wink and the nod. While members will be discommunicated, law enforcement, which is heavily LDS, does not pursue the offenders, giving such behavior a tacit church approval. This book is a fair, unbiased look at just how much sway the church holds over it's membes. Fundamentalism and murder in the name of G-d have gone on for ages. This book reminds us that questioning of any religion is imperative; and blind obediance is dangerous. If religion can't take a few questions, then a member should seriously ask about its validity.
Rating:
Summary: Under The Banner of Heaven
Review: This is an excellent, suspenseful, enlightening, and ultimately shocking book. Like the author's other books, UTBOH illuminates the personalities of people living 'extreme'. Mormons, in general, are 'outraged' over UTBOH. They are quick to point out any disputable errors. However, in criticizing UTBOH, they do not and cannot deny the key episodes of the book. Like it or not, episodes of murder and slaughter and polygamy and pedophilia and kidnapping and fraud are throughout the history of the LDS church ... not just in the history of Fundamentalist Mormonism. Sadly, these episodes give all Christianity a bad reputation. This is a wonderful book, and serves as a warning to all people of faith, showing what happens when people refuse to 'let God be God'. I give it my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: A Life-Long-Learner's Dream Book
Review: Quite to the contrary of most of the reviews I've read on this site about this book, I've found that Krakauer not only portrayed the Mormon religion as accurate, but also as a compelling, struggle-riddled quest for identity. At times, I felt that he sided with the LDS, and other times, against them. This is the true mark of a writing genious- to be able to sway a reader back and forth and introduce them into all aspects of the subject- not just the one he himself believes in. His accounts of the many rapes and murders associated with the FLDS are, in fact, graphic and heart-rendering, but they are also told with an essential honesty. Well researched and ingeniously written, Krakauer exceeds in this book, making the reader frequently stop, put down the book, think about the messages, and then pick the book back up, anticipating the next true twist. A must-read for life-long-learners.
Rating:
Summary: Something everyone - Mormon or not - should read
Review: If you have ever had your curiosity piqued by those Mormon missionaries who ring your bell on Saturdays asking "Have you ever heard of the book of Mormon?" do yourself a favor -- read this book, THEN invite the missionaries in for a discussion. That way you'll be able to evaluate the missionaries' claims with an objective eye. This book originally interested me because as a kid, I had grown up next door to a Mormon family and spent a lot of time hanging out with Mormon kids, some of whom were quite devout. I also dated a Mormon young man for a time. They had explained bits and pieces of their faith to me but I didn't have the whole picture. After reading "Under the Banner of Heaven," a lot of what I observed in my friends' homes as a young person makes much more sense to me. It's not surprising to me that there are Mormons posting negative reviews of the book. In my experience, there is little in the religion that encourages investigation and questioning and much that encourages conformation and obedience. Krakauer discusses these themes in-depth in the book. He also reveals some not-very-nice parts of Mormon history, such as Joseph Smith's insatiable sexual appetite, the apostasy of several of the church's key members, and a brutal massacre perpetrated on innocent people by Mormons. For people who are taught that Joseph Smith is a personage akin to God on Earth, and that their religion, as the only true one, is pure and above blame, I am sure these discussions are disturbing. The book is excellent, as is usual for Krakauer. You can tell Krakauer did exhaustive research, yet the text never meanders too far or gets too bogged down in detail. Krakauer relays a straightforward, unbiased view of Dan Lafferty, who was convicted of perpetrating the murders the book is based upon. Krakauer spends a lot of time discussing quality of life for women tied to splinter fundamentalist groups; I wish he had spent a little more time investigating the lives of women in the mainstream LDS church. Most of the Mormon girls I grew up with were not encouraged to prepare for any future other than that of wife and mother; most were married by 19 and had children by 21 and felt desperately trapped. Obviously fundamentalist women with polygamist husbands are living in some kind of subhuman hell, but things aren't great for mainstream Mormon women either. I also felt Krakauer glossed over key elements of Mormonism like the secret temple rituals, missions, and the pervasive racism that still exists within the church. There is plenty of information on the Internet about these subjects for the curious. All in all, a fantastic book, something everyone interested in questions of faith should read.
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